Italian cyclist Marco Pantani’s record-breaking climb of the Alpe d’Huez is up there with the greatest moments in the history of the Tour. His staggering time of just 37 min. 35 sec., set in 1997, stands as the record to this day. The following year, he won the Tour. But Pantani’s tale is ultimately tragic: dogged by allegations of doping, he gradually faded from the sport, competing only sporadically from 1999 to 2003. He entered counseling for clinical depression and eventually died of a cocaine overdose in 2004.
Top 10 Tour de France Moments
The Tour de France, which kicked off July 4, is a three-week, 2,000-mile test of human endurance. TIME takes a look back at some of the race's greatest moments
